"A galaxy." Came the answer to his silent question.

In fact, the utterance was so quick and misplaced that Itachi actually believed his voiced betrayed him for a second. Had he actually asked what he was thinking? He didn't think so and yet Kisame had given him an answer anyways. "I'm sorry?"

"Your mind," Kisame said, speaking slowly (perhaps to make sure that Itachi didn't mishear him again) "is brilliant, complex, and vast. If I had to paint a portrait of you I'd fill your head with a galaxy."

So either he'd voiced his thoughts aloud or Kisame could read his mind.

"I know you didn't ask but I thought I should let you know what I think." Kisame shrugged and returned to his work.

Itachi had grossly misjudged Kisame. All this time he thought he was a stereotypical meat-headed jock whose only priorities were sports, drinking and wild parties. But Kisame didn't seem to think of any of those things to Itachi's knowledge. He cared about the sport he played, of course, but it wasn't the center of his focus – at least, when he and Itachi talked. He wasn't old enough to drink when they first met but now that he was of legal age he didn't flaunt it either like most athletes did. Looking around the apartment there were empty beer bottles, sure, but Kisame hadn't touched one all evening. Instead, he opted for water. And he never spoke of any wild parties when they were together.

The only thing he seemed to care about was making good grades in the classes he struggled in. And not in the way that most athletes were portrayed where they paired up with the smartest kid in class to do all the work for them. The pair communicated their availability, set up a schedule, and stuck to it. Itachi couldn't think of a time when Kisame cancelled or forgot about their tutoring sessions. Even in the comfort of his apartment Kisame maintained his focus.

And now this. He thought his mind was brilliant and complex like a galaxy. Itachi wasn't even sure that Shisui would have said something so poetic to him like this. He glanced at Kisame who occasionally stole a peek over his shoulder to watch his expression. He wasn't joking when he said it either. There was no hint of sarcasm. He felt that Kisame genuinely meant what he said. It may have been the nicest thing anyone had said to him for a long time.

But Itachi didn't know what to do with such a compliment. "Well I don't want to toot my own horn so I don't think I'll be putting that on a shirt." He said, hoping to come off cool and effortless in his response. "But thank you for your kind words." He said. So much for not being socially backwards. Cool and effortless? More like cold and ungrateful. Was it too late to smooth over the damage and say something nicer? Probably. "I think we can transfer those to the skillet now." He said of the crab cake patties.

"Sounds good." Kisame said, his tone visibly duller than it had been before. Gone was the mirth and pride in his words like a vibrant sunset disappearing behind the gloomy silhouette of a mountain of rejection in its wake. "Something tells me you don't receive a lot of compliments, do you?" He asked as he sifted through his cabinets for a suitable skillet.

Itachi stood dumbly behind him, feeling out of place in a kitchen he wasn't familiar with while he waited for Kisame to locate the cooking oil still. "Letter grades feel more familiar than verbal praise." He answered honestly. His mother complimented him and Sasuke plenty when they were younger and even now as they grew older. However, it was his father's validation both he and Sasuke sought after and the best was to receive their father's praise was to present him with good marks. He hoped Kisame would read between the lines and realize that he didn't mean to come off as cold and emotionless. He just wasn't used to receiving praise without reason.

Thankfully the awkward air looming between them dissipated as they began to cook. Itachi fully intended to let Kisame do as much of the cooking as possible to get him familiar with the techniques so he could guide him along the way. After all, he'd never seen Kisame cook before so it was best he let him take the reigns and help when need be. Besides a slight mishap with cooking oil (Kisame poured way more than was necessary; half of which Itachi had to pour back into the bottle) the rest of the evening went fairly smoothly. Kisame honed in on the task set before him much to Itachi's surprise. With the end being so close in sight and the fragrant smells of the seasoning wafting through the air it made sense why he'd be so intent on getting it right.

"You did this?" Zabuza asked through a mouthful of crab cakes, pointing a finger at Kisame.

Kisame nodded. "I wasn't sitting back and looking pretty if that's what you thought!"

His roommate raised a skeptical brow and continued to devour the mountain of crab cakes in front of him. What started as a meager two patties doubled in size after he took the first bite. It seemed he intended to make good on their deal and eat as many as he wanted.

"Leaving so soon?" Kisame asked as Itachi shrugged on his jacket. "Though, I don't blame ya." He said, nodding in the direction of Zabuza's back at the kitchen bar.

Itachi nodded. "Yeah. I still have some work to do tonight."

"Understandable. I'll walk you back." He said. "I wanna get away if you know what I mean."

He was referring to Zabuza, that much was for sure, but he wasn't entirely sure why he said what he did. To his knowledge, him and Zabuza were good friends and fellow teammates. Afterall he wouldn't have chosen to room with him if he wasn't. "Aren't you afraid he'll eat all of your crabcakes?"

"Hey!" Zabuza called from inside right as Kisame was about to shut the door.

"Give me a second." Kisame said before thrusting open the door and disappearing inside. "What do you want now, my royal pain in the ass?"

Itachi remained just outside as they talked because if he left Kisame would surely sprint after him. Despite the casual flow of conversation between them he still felt guilty about the way he'd responded to Kisame's compliment earlier.

"Can he come over every week?" Zabuza asked from inside.

Kisame had left the door slightly ajar and Zabuza wasn't exactly trying to be discreet with his words.

"Maybe." Kisame chuckled nervously in the way one does when they want to say 'no' but don't want to be rude. "That's not my decision though."

"He already comes over every week to study so why can't he help you cook while he's at it?"

Kisame's response was quiet and muffled so Itachi didn't hear what was said after that. Before Zabuza could say anything more – if he hadn't whispered something already that Itachi couldn't hear – Kisame returned and quickly shut the door behind him. "Sorry about that. You ready?"

Itachi nodded.

"So what're you gonna do when you get back? Got any plans for the rest of the night?" Kisame asked conversationally on their way down the stairs.

"I still have some work to do yet but I'm planning on heading to bed early tonight."

"Same here. Good thing we didn't watch Netflix tonight. You and I both would've been conked out on the couch together. I can just hear Zabuza now!" He laughed.

He was right. Had they decided to watch something on the couch there was a good chance that one or both of them would have dozed off only to awaken to an obnoxious Zabuza and a bowl of chilled crab meat in the fridge.

Kisame held open the door for Itachi who was immediately greeted with a face full of cold air. Despite March nearing its end and the sun setting later and later the nights were still gusty and chilly like the one right now. It was cold the night before but without wind it felt considerably warmer.

"You know what would hit the spot right now?" Kisame asked.

"What?"

"A cup of hot chocolate. The café is close to your dorm! We could make a pit stop on the way there!"

Itachi considered the merits of this for a moment. He wasn't one to turn down hot chocolate especially given the lengthy walk back to his dormitory but he couldn't ignore the fact that he'd been gone for nearly three hours now. Maybe even four. To Deidara's knowledge, he and Kisame were studying. Studying for three hours in the library wasn't an abnormal occurrence for Itachi but Kisame could never and Deidara likely knew that. "I dunno. Maybe some other time, Kisame."

"Don't like hot chocolate?" Kisame asked.

A cold gust of air blew between them, thrashing Itachi's bangs this way and freezing the tips of his nose and airs. "Fine. Let's go."

Kisame smiled and burrowed his hands deeper into the pockets of his jacket. "I knew you were a man of culture."

"Yeah, yeah." Itachi muttered playfully.

The community center, which also housed a café and other amenities was about a five minute walk from Kisame's apartment and two minutes away from the entrance of Itachi's. At the center was a large room with several chairs, tables and couches sectioned into groups. Once they'd gotten their hot chocolates Kisame suggested sitting close to one of the fire places before venturing out into the cold again.

Kisame settled back into his chair with a relaxed exhale. "Thought about who you're going to room with next year yet?" He asked and took a small sip of his drink.

Itachi sat at the edge of his chair since settled back would mean prolonging their time spent here. He wanted to wait for his drink to cool, finish it off quickly and return back to his room to avoid yet another awkward conversation with Deidara. "I'm gonna room alone next year. Living with others isn't really for me."

"Fair, fair." Kisame said. "What about Deidara? Any idea what he's planning on doing?"

"I'm not sure. He applied to be a resident assistant but didn't get the job. I haven't asked him about his plans for next year. I think it's safe to say that we both want to explore alternative avenues as far as roommates go."

"Fair." He studied Itachi for a moment and furrowed his brows. "Is everything okay? You look like you're on edge."

Had he not been sleep deprived he would have crafted a more tactful answer like "If I relax I might fall asleep," but in his current mental state he answered "I'm fine. I can't stay very long or else Deidara will wonder where I've been."

Kisame looked perplexed. "I thought you told him you were coming over? Even if you didn't he's not your guardian. He's not in charge of your curfew or who you hang out with."

Itachi fingered the seam of his cup. "I know that but like you, I'm trying to avoid awkward encounters with my roommate too." He said. After a moment he added "Being gone for extended periods of time might help your situation but it only makes mine intolerable."

Immediately he mentally chided himself for the words he chose just then. He might as well have told Kisame "Spending time with you makes things harder for me at home." Even that might have been better phrased than using the word "intolerable."

But before he could remedy his words Kisame spoke over him. "I'm glad you're living on your own next year. I like Deidara, don't get me wrong, and I get that you two have had a rocky past couple of months but if he makes you feel that strongly about having friends besides him then I'd call that a toxic relationship, Itachi." He said and took a sip of his hot chocolate. "I wouldn't dwell on it. We only have a month left of school anyways. I'm just saying you can either keep living like this or put your foot down and tell Deidara to mind his business."

He had a point. And for all Itachi knew, Deidara might not even be home by the time he returned. He might not even care where Itachi was all night even if he was home.

"Does Deidara have class tonight?" Kisame pressed.

"From 4 – 5 yeah."

Kisame threw his hand up as if to make a grand declaration. "There you have it! Do you know what he's doing after class or who he's hanging out with?"

"No."

"Exactly." He smiled knowingly and settled back into his chair. "You don't micromanage his life so don't let him micromanage yours. For all he knows you could have come back while he was at class and left to go shopping somewhere." He said. "I wouldn't waste your energy on it, Itachi."

"You're right." He surrendered and settled back into his chair slightly. "I'm sorry. I hate to blame sleep deprivation but my words tonight have been very uncouth and I don't want you to think that I haven't enjoyed your company."

He leaned forward and patted Itachi's knee with a smile. "I dunno, I'm also sleep deprived and you don't hear me using words like 'uncouth' whatever that means."

"It means rude."

He smiled again and squeezed his knee before sitting back in his own chair. "I know, I know. I'm just teasing you. You've had a long day and I won't keep you after this. Promise."

And so the two sat in comfortable silence, sipping at their drinks in front of the fireplace listening to the sounds of ambient chatter and the distant whooping and cheering from one of the nearby game rooms. For all of the ups and downs the day brought with it Itachi was content with the outcome and was sure he'd have a restful sleep ahead of him that night.

"Have I ever told you I hate winter?" Kisame said as they left the community center. The wind had not died down during their time spent inside, thrusting the large pine trees from side to side and sounding a hollow howling sound.

"No, but I could have guessed." Itachi muttered.

"Here, turn around." Kisame said with a tap on Itachi's shoulder.

Itachi reluctantly turned to face him, grateful that Kisame's body was shielding his face from the wind. His bangs were blown asunder, obscuring his vision but he was too numb to care.

"This has been bothering me." Kisame said and reached both of his hands up to properly part Itachi's bangs.

He had a feeling that a few strands had been out of place but still couldn't summon the will to care enough to fix them earlier. Not a moment later another gust of wind ripped between them, sending Itachi's bangs flying past his face again in a violent torrent. Before Kisame could move to brush them out of the way again Itachi carefully tucked them behind his ears. "It's freezing. We should probably part ways."

"Probably." Kisame agreed. "See you later, Itachi!"

"Later!" He called over his shoulder, walking briskly in the direction of his dorm.